Entries Tagged ‘Christianity’

In my view of the world there are really only 2 religions. ‘Code of Honor’ and ‘Agape’.

In Code of Honor religion, there is a list of things to do or follow. Depending on the Name of the CofH Religion, the list is different. If you fail the list, then the result is Shame. All CofH religions are ME based. How do I improve or live better, or get ahead? If I fail, I am subject to discipline that can procede even to death. But surely I will undergo shame from my peers.

In Agape the focus is outward; sacrifice, service, giving are terms used. Agape is true Christianity. Led by Jesus. I become part of Agape when I make a positive choice to follow Him. When I fail Agape, the result is not shame it is a restoration process centered around repentance, and on the foundation of Agape for one another.

There is a ‘Christianity’ that stays on the CofH side. Its terms and sound is a lot like Agape, but it is still a list filled with shame and me oriented. To move to Agape, I must do more than just affirm or acknowlwdge Jesus, I must truly Absorb Him through Faith as both Savior and Leader. I will see myself changed and starting to think and do things on the Agape foundation.

Now under Agape, I am changed into a new person. I am filled with the Holy Spirit and can hear and follow the voice of Jesus. The Holy Spirit will make the Bible come alive and lead me in daily choices. All things have become new.

Reading Radical by David Platt made me weak in my knees. This book is both challenging and insightful. This is a quick read that gave me several ah ha’s.

A pastor of a large southern church, David discusses his personal journey in trying to match what he saw in his church and other US churches to the church he reads about in the New Testament. His conclusion is that the church in the US and American Christianity needs a wake up call; and this book is it.

I agree with his premis that the “American Dream” build on self reliance and bootstrapping oneself to success has clouded the vision of the Western Church and Christians. We have centered on Gods Grace without balancing it with God’s Glory.

One ah ha for me was the concept that God created us in His image, blessed us and then gave us a command to take His image which He placed in us and spread His glory around the world. Applying this to my life, I need to be God’s image wherever I go and spread His glory everyplace my foot steps.

Platt sees the needs of the world around us as a target for us to address and bring Glory to God.

After eight compelling chapters, Radical concludes with The Radical Experiment, a call to a movement starting with each of us as individuals; “One year to a life lived upside down,” in which the reader is urged to commit to:

Pray for the entire world
Read through the entire Word
Sacrifice your money for a specific purpose
Spend your time in another context
Commit your life to multiplying community

This is a great way to launch us from this very practical and challenging book.

In sports its been my hardest task to lose gracefully. In close contests I wanted to be the one to take the last shot or be up to bat with the game on the line because I knew how much coming through meant to me, and wasn’t always sure of others.

Am I connecting to some of you?

In business situations this can be a help in not giving up in hard times. It can also lead to conflict when someone on the other side of a negotiation gets into a win/lose attitude rather than a win/ win attitude.

And in my marriage, my avoiding conflict until backed into a corner then coming out with guns blazing to WIN was a dysfunctional pairing of attributes. Rather than building up my wife I was tearing her down. I was supposed to love her like Christ loved the church, who gave Himself up for her that He might present her spotless and blameless before God. I used that with my daughters dates, but didn’t always live it out in day to day life. Probably still don’ do this as good as I should.

So I do hate to Lose.

Unfortunately for me, that’s not how God feels.

For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

The Kingdom principle is that its the losers who are the winners!

So much of what I read in the Bible could be changed out with Loser. God loves a cheerful giver (loser); The poor in spirit (losers) will inherit the Kingdom of God; Love your wife like Jesus loved the church who gave His life (loser); ……You can probably give a bigger list.

But this LOSER is someone who is willing to Lose his own rights to benefit others, to exhibit sacrificial love for others, to build others up, to bring glory to God.

So I’m trying to learn the Kingdom principle that Loser is the new Winner because in God’s Kingdom is the ultimate fulfillment of the old saying. “He who laughs last laughs best!”

Wikipedia definition- The attempt to reconcile disparate or contrary beliefs, often while melding practices of various schools of thought…

Its a fancy word for the “Frog in a Kettle” concept. Many of us have heard this before. How do you boil a live frog? Put him in a kettle of cold water and slowly raise the temp. He just sits there as the temp goes up and boils to death.

This is how the evangelical Christian church has slowly lost its savor in this country. Research by Barna and Gallup suggests that the statistics of “bad behavior” doesn’t differ much between the general public and the evangelical church. Divorce rates, infidelity, pornography etc……

What’s up?

The Bible tells us to not be conformed to the world. So I guess Sync has been happening a long time!

In the world of technology sync is used to mean when 2 databases are conformed into identical copies of each other. What is good for databases stinks for Committed Christians. When business people are Synced we call this operating like Babylon, where money is the only “good” and integrity, loyalty, and service take a back seat.

So if Sync Stinks, what is the answer?

Well, we may not like the answer- The Bible says to let our minds dwell on what is good, to protect our eyes and ears, to not love the World but instead set our eyes on Jesus, and set our minds on the things above.

The bottom line is the fire is getting turned up. Movies and TV are no longer safe for adults to watch much less children. Political correctness is seeping in to our churches. people don’t confront bad behavior. We were hooked on new technologies only to find they are portals to pornography and other temptations. We are too busy to read our Bibles and soak in meditating on what we read. Memorize scripture and study theology so we know principles and can use them in specific circumstances – no way, too time consuming and difficult. I am too busy.

Its not easy to get off the stove, but:

Lets read our Bibles, ask the Holy Spirit to open the meaning up like a beautiful flower after a spring rain, memorize passages so we have them at our finger tips, constantly ask the Holy Spirit to talk to us about every situation we are in and ever person we talk to, praise our heavenly Father for our blessings and hard times, hold each other accountable for bad behavior, and ask to be filled with the fruit of the Spirit:

Spurgeon is one of the great reformed preachers of all time. The book is updated for today’s language.

Over 200 years ago, this preacher tells us about the ministry of the Holy Spirit in a manner as contemporary and useful as tomorrow’s headlines.

I found Spurgeon’s use of the English language to be refreshingly powerful in explaining the work of the Holy Spirit in my life.

The Holy Spirit is my comforter, teacher, advocate, gives me power to live a life pleasing to God and to attest to God’s glorious gospel, will transform me into future glory, will show me truth, will flood me with grace, transforms me into new life, and helps me transform every place I go into God’s Kingdom.

As i read this book, I could see that this is not a list to Spurgeon but rather an expose of the experience he was having with his friend the Holy Spirit.

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